Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt leis an Seanad i gcomhthéacs an ábhair ríthábhachtaigh seo. I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to address the Seanad. I thank Senators for being here for this very important issue.

We all know that these terrible circumstances are of huge interest to this House and to the people of Ireland. The current violence and destruction in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is appalling. This is the worst escalation of the conflict that we have seen in many years. Already, thousands of lives have been lost. Many more people have been physically injured and untold numbers will carry the pain of grief for the rest of their lives. Ireland will continue to use its voice to call for de-escalation, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the protection of civilians. I will continue to reaffirm Ireland's long-held position that a two-state solution which brings about a lasting peace is necessary and must be prioritised by the international community.

I would like in particular to express my condolences to the families and friends of Kim Damti and Emily Hand. Last week, I spoke with Kim's family and expressed my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Government and the people of Ireland. I also acknowledge the suffering and grief felt by both the Israeli and Palestinian communities in Ireland. This is not a conflict happening in isolation in another part of the world. Many people here are affected by it and my thoughts are with all of those grieving.

I reiterate my utter condemnation of the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on the people of Israel. Hamas deliberately and systematically targeted civilians. People seeking to go about their lives in small communities during a holiday and young people enjoying a music festival were brutally killed. These gross atrocities were vile and barbaric. They can never be justified and any attempt to do so is shameful. The action of Hamas in taking hostages is despicable. Hundreds of people are currently being held in the Gaza Strip, among them women and children. It is an act of immense cruelty and I call for their immediate and unconditional release. In the wake of the attack, the Government clearly expressed that Israel has the right to defend itself and its people against Hamas. This right, however, can only be exercised in line with international humanitarian law.

The Palestinian people of Gaza must be distinguished from Hamas, not only on the ground but in rhetoric. It is dangerous and offensive to conflate civilians with an organisation listed as a terror group by the European Union. The strike on al-Ahli hospital was absolutely appalling. Reports suggest that hundreds of patients, staff and those civilians taking shelter there have been killed. The full facts must be established and those responsible must be held to account. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure constitute a breach of international humanitarian law. There cannot be collective punishment of the entire civilian population in Gaza for the crimes of Hamas. There are now thousands of fatalities in Gaza with thousands more wounded. Vast numbers of people in one of the most densely populated corners of our world are now displaced from their homes. The order given by Israeli authorities last week for more than 1 million people to leave northern Gaza and move to the south of the strip is unworkable and deeply dangerous. Attempts by people to leave in huge numbers have led to civilian casualties and many of those people left behind are now vulnerable and in peril.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is very alarming.People have limited access to water, food and electricity. We have seen reports of hospitals running out of power. UN Secretary General Guterres has reminded the international community that even wars have rules. No one gets to choose in what circumstances international humanitarian law applies. It applies in all conflicts to all actors and, at its core, is the principle of the protection of civilians.

In recent days, I have been urging and engaging intensively with my counterparts to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. It has been a key focus of my discussions with the EU foreign ministers and the foreign ministers of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as of my engagements with senior UN officials.

I spoke this week to the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini. He warned of the dire situation the people of the Gaza Strip are facing and the need to ensure immediate humanitarian access for essential supplies, such as water and fuel. He said if he could give one message in three words, it would be “Water, water, water.” It is that dire. I extended condolences to him for the UNRWA staff who tragically lost their lives while working to support refugees in Gaza. Ireland has a long history of support for UNRWA. Yesterday, I announced an additional package of €13 million, including €10 million in core funding. This will help them deliver their essential work.

The Government has added Ireland's voice to calls, including that of Secretary General Guterres, for a humanitarian pause or ceasefire. This is needed to establish the humanitarian corridors necessary to meet the most basic needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. At the emergency European Council meeting on Tuesday, the Taoiseach raised this with the EU leaders. I will do so with the EU foreign ministers at our meeting on Monday.

I welcome the announcement by President Biden during his visit yesterday that the Rafah crossing will open for humanitarian aid. Of course, we will then seek to enable our citizens in Gaza to come exit the territory via that crossing.

I am also deeply concerned by the current situation in the West Bank. We must not ignore the potential for wider escalation while we are focused on the crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip. The UN reports that more than 60 Palestinians have been killed there since 7 October and we are aware of increased settler violence. Hundreds of people have been evicted from their communities, including members of a Bedouin community whom I met with last month. We must avoid further escalation of violence in the West Bank if we are to prevent this becoming a wider regional conflict.

Last month, I visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan. I spoke with political leaders, NGOs and community organisations. I met groups working towards increasing contacts between Israelis and Palestinians, focused on contributing to a more peaceful future. They are living in the midst of this terrible conflict and many of them have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Now does not seem like a time when hope for the future can be expressed. However, we know on this island that the resolve to work for peace can be forged in the darkest of days.

A matter of days before the attack by Hamas, Ireland’s ambassador to Israel took part in a March organised by women’s organisations working for peace and reconciliation. Vivian Silver, a leading member of Women Wage Peace who was part of that march, has been missing since Hamas attacked the kibbutz in southern Israel where she lived. She may be among the hostages taken to Gaza. Last week, her son, Yonatan Ziegen, said in an interview “The only way to have safety and to live good lives is with peace. Vengeance is not a strategy.” The courage to send this message to the world in the face of such brutality is extraordinary. We need voices for peace more than ever.

The crisis is grave and there is the risk of potential regional escalation. Avoiding this and protecting civilians is my immediate priority. The Government will continue to work towards de-escalation with the goal always of a just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. It is important that messages from the EU and other partners recall our shared position, namely, a two-state solution, not as empty rhetoric, but as a clear and achievable goal. It has long been an Irish foreign policy priority that Israel and a Palestinian state should be able to live side by side in peace and security.

I know the importance the Oireachtas and the Irish people place on this issue. It is a key part of my focus and will remain so. It is time there is a renewed and determined international effort to make peace a reality; it cannot wait any longer.